Monday, October 21, 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma


Burmese migrants given work permit lifeline in Malaysia

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 06:17 AM PDT

Malaysian authorities have announced a plan to provide legal work permits for undocumented migrant workers in the country previously registered under what was known as the "6P programme".

According to a Kuala Lumpur-based Burmese migrant group, Myanmar Migrant Rights Centre (MMRC), the Malaysian government is to initiate a three-month programme to issue work permits to migrants, many thousands of whom are Burmese workers, in a plan that the Home Affairs Ministry commenced on 21 October in Putrajaya on the southern outskirts of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

Burmese migrants under the 6P programme were permitted to seek work permits through "service companies", but many found themselves cheated and out of pocket.

Yan Naing Htun of the MMRC said the current programme will not allow third parties such as the services companies, brokers or agents to handle the applications, but rather the migrants will be obliged to apply for the work permits themselves.

"Labour unions in Malaysia have been questioning the fees that migrants paid to these agents," he said, adding that those migrants who already paid money to service companies or agents for work permits can now take their cases directly to the Home Affairs Ministry by providing all the necessary documents: receipts, reference letters from the immigration department, details of employers, etc.

Than Soe Oo, a Burmese migrant in Malaysia, said he previously tried to acquire a work permit through a service company but his fee was stolen and he was not provided with documents.

"My former employer said he could not wait any longer as it was taking me too long to get a work permit," he told DVB. "In the end, he hired someone else to replace me. I can only hope that he will hire me again and give me some advance pay so I can reapply for a work permit.

"Otherwise, the only option for me is to go back to Burma," he said.

Thein Sein inspects SEA Games stadiums

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 02:38 AM PDT

With just 50 days left until the opening ceremony of the 27th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Burma's President Thein Sein on Sunday inspected preparations at the games' main sports venue, the 30,000-capacity Wunna Theikdi Stadium in Naypyidaw.

According to Burmese state media, the president said that "the focus of the Burmese state, athletes and citizens now must be to host the SEA Games in a successful way, and in that way create a better future for the country's youths." He also urged Burma's athletes to undertake their best efforts to win as many medals as possible.

During his visit, the president viewed a scale model of the stadium, the construction of the football ground, and the stage for the opening ceremony. He was joined by Vice-President Nyan Tun, who is also Patron of the Leading Committee for Organizing the SEA Games; the chairman of the leading committee, Tint Hsan; and Committee Union Minister Tint Hsan.

The main arenas for the games will be Wunna Theikdi and Zeyathiri stadiums in Naypyidaw. Another feature that has been built is the Sports Village, a miniature town with accommodation, training facilities, money exchangers, entertainment, media centers, and management offices. The new stadiums will both be equipped with a 110-meter LED screen plus six more screens for the opening and closing ceremonies, which will feature performances of traditional Burmese culture.

One of the logistical difficulties Naypyidaw is facing as host is providing accommodation for the one million spectators, athletes, officials, media and tourists that are expected to descend upon the remote Burmese capital during the games which take place from 11 – 22 December.

Over 10,000 athletes are scheduled to compete. According to the director of Hotels and Tourism ministry, Kaung Htut, the country is well prepared enough, with more than 4,000 rooms in Naypyidaw and ten clusters for the athletes that can house up to 640 people each. Several hotels have also been reserved in Mandalay and Ngwe Saung.

"We have arranged accommodation for over 9,500 individuals at hotels and over 3,000 more in the Athletes' Village – for a total of 12,500 individuals", Kaung Htut told DVB reporter Win Aung.

A total of 33 sports events will be run, fought, jousted and fought for in Naypyidaw, Rangoon, Mandalay and Ngwe Saung with 4,350 medals up for grabs.

SEA Games Operations Committee Chairman Zaw Winn, who is also Burma's deputy minister of sports, told Channel News Asia that the Ministry of Home Affairs will make security arrangements for the SEA Games, and that security is currently being increased as the opening ceremony approaches. He said he is not worried about the security of the visitors.

His comments come in the wake of a spate of bombings across the country which left three people dead and several injured.

Arakan CBOs demand halt to all natural resource extraction projects

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 01:29 AM PDT

An umbrella group of Arakanese civic organisations, NGOs and political parties issued a statement on Monday demanding a halt to all natural resource extraction projects in Arakan state until a genuine federal system is implemented in Burma.

The statement follows a three-day workshop in Mrauk-U on 14-16 October hosted by the Natural Resources for the People (NRFP) group involving 55 representatives of diverse Arakanese organisations.

At the end of the workshop, the representatives signed a declaration calling for the following main points:

  • The provision of a 24-hour supply of electricity from the newly operational Shwe Gas project in Kyaukphyu to all rural and urban areas across Arakan state at the same price as customers pay in Rangoon;
  •  An inclusion in the Burmese constitution that all natural resources in Arakan state "are controlled and managed by the Rakhine [Arakanese] people";
  • To stop immediately the following projects in Arakan state: Maday Deep Oil Seaport Project: Laymro Hydro Power Dam Project (Kyauk U): Kaladan Multi-Model Transit Transport Project: Titanium Mining Project: Large-scale production of marble mining project; Special Economic Zone projects; hotel and agriculture projects; Tha Htay Chaung Hydropower Dam Project; Ann Chaung Hydro Power Dam Project; and the Kyaukphyu-Kumin Railway Project;
  • To postpone all natural resource extraction projects until a real federal system is granted;
  • To give back lands confiscated by the military, cronies, and companies to the local owners;
  • To immediately release activists who were imprisoned for their activism regarding natural resource extraction;
  • To recognize and preserve Rakhine culture and historic infrastructure in line with UNESCO's standards.

"Rakhine [Arakan] state is currently one of the least developed states and has the second largest poverty rate in Myanmar [Burma], even though it is rich in natural resources such as oil and gas, and minerals," the statement said. "Currently, Shwe gas from Rakhine State is being exported to China, and mineral extraction projects, Special Economic Zone projects and hydropower projects are being implemented throughout Rakhine State.  None of these projects have the consent of the Rakhine people."

 

Shwe gas pipeline now fully operational

Posted: 20 Oct 2013 08:43 PM PDT

A pipeline pumping natural gas from Burma to energy-hungry China has gone fully operational, state-run Chinese media said on Monday.

The project, stretching more than 2,500 kilometres (1,600 miles) from western Burma to southwest China, will help the world’s second-largest economy feed its growing energy needs.

It comes as close political ties between the two nations have weakened, after Burma’s quasi-civilian regime took office in 2011 and brought in sweeping reforms that have led to the scrapping of most Western sanctions.

The pipeline, first launched in July after three years of construction, “has gone into full operation on Sunday”, the Global Times reported.

It runs from Kyaukphyu on the west coast of Burma and will deliver gas to Burma and China’s energy-deprived southwest, including Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing and Guangxi.

But critics say the project saw land confiscated from local residents and carries environmental risks.

The pipeline also passes through the Chinese border town of Ruili, where fighting erupted earlier this year between Burma government forces and the rebel Kachin Independence Army.

The added delivery of 12 billion cubic metres (420 billion cubic feet) a year will cut gas prices and reduce coal use, the Global Times said, while limits on industrial gas consumption will be raised.

The pipeline will help China diversify its energy imports, it quoted Lin Boqiang, a professor with the China Centre for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, as saying.

“Currently, China’s piped gas is mainly imported from areas around the Malacca Strait. Now, we have one more pipeline from the land instead of the seabed, which will decrease dangerous factors,” Lin said.

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine


In Burma, a Vexing Vexillology

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 05:51 AM PDT

flag, Myanmar, Burma, Rangoon, Yangon, Vexillology

Burma's national flag is pictured in Rangoon on Oct. 21, 2010. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — It was a superficial facelift coming just weeks before the 2010 elections that would shake up Burma's power structure and lead to a raft of substantive political and economic reforms in the country: Burma three years ago today got a new flag, as well as modified its anthem and state seal. The country's name also got a tweak, from the Union of Myanmar to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

In the waning days of the military junta's half-century rule, the flag of Burma on Oct. 21, 2010, swapped its 14 stars for one big one, and traded the canton style—an offset square in the top left corner—for horizontal yellow, green and red stripes. On that Thursday afternoon, the citizens of Burma looked up to see an unfamiliar flag fluttering unexpectedly from state buildings and flagpoles across the country.

Because of the secretive nature of the flag's inception, the design of which took its final form within the pages of the 2008 military-drafted Constitution, much speculation has surrounded its intended symbolic meaning, and many question whether it is representative of a people who had little say in its creation.

For one Rangoon-based tour guide, vexillology—the study of flags—yields nothing profound.

"This flag, it looks like a traffic light. I would say for 99 percent of Myanmar people, there is no love for this flag," said the freelance guide, who requested anonymity.

The old banner, which replaced the independence-era flag of the Union of Burma in 1974, left much less to the imagination.Within the former flag's blue canton, 14 white stars, symbolizing Burma's 14 states and divisions surrounded a stalk of rice and a cogwheel, representing agriculture and industry, respectively. That flag, adopted by the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, would survive through another image makeover when the country changed its name to the Union of Myanmar in 1989.

That is not to say it was universally beloved. Student protestors in 1988 were known to flip the flag upside-down in street demonstrations to show their discontent with the ruling socialist government of Gen Ne Win.

Burma expert Mikael Gravers, like many familiar with the superstitious ruling generals and their penchant for fortunetellers and other dubious governance strategies, told The Irrawaddy that the current flag was likely "the result of an astrological consultation."

Some have noted that the white star is the shared symbol of all branches of the Burmese military, also known as the Tatmadaw. Others have theorized that the consolidation of 14 stars into one symbolizes unity—or for critics, a "unified" Burma at the expense of a more decentralized federal state.

In the Jan. 2, 2007, edition of state mouthpiece The New Light of Myanmar, a transcript of a constitutional convention meeting lays out a more rose-tinted explanation of the new flag's design. Quoting delegates from a group of "intellectuals and intelligentsia" charged with helping to craft the new design, the newspaper reported that the flags of 194 nations were studied, as well as Burmese flags from the Bagan, Innwa, Konbaung and pre-independence periods.

"The national brethren of Myanmar have been living in unity and amity. A big white star representing the love and unity of the Myanmar people should be included in the State Flag," a member of the group, Win Maung, was quoted as saying.

"Green representing agriculture that is the main business of Union of Myanmar which is peaceful, lush and verdant should be portrayed. Yellow which reflects the unity and amity of the national races should be included. Moreover, red, which means valour and decisiveness, should also be portrayed."

"We considered that the proposed State Flag marked with green, yellow and red stripes in a proportionate ratio is endowed with essence and meaning. The big white star, which reflects perpetual existence of the consolidated Union, should be on the left end of the green stripe at the top."

This proposed design would ultimately be altered slightly when the white star was moved to the center and enlarged.

Reuters on that day three years ago quoted a government official as saying they were taken by surprise when the order came to switch the flags. The news agency also said the old flag was to be lowered by someone born on a Tuesday and the new one raised by an individual born on a Wednesday, lending credence to the theory that astrology played some hand in the new flag's coming-out party.

The old flags were ordered burned, Reuters reported, citing the same government official.

"A lot of people, including myself, were skeptical about the change," Poe Kwa Gyi, who was living in a refugee camp in Thailand when word of the flag change reached him, told The Irrawaddy.

"Does the flag represent all the ethnic people who are living in Burma, or were any representatives of ethnic people involved in making decisions for the flag change? Or was the decision and the process completed by just a small group of people? It seemed to me that the people were excluded from the process and the flag was possibly just as military-drafted as the 2008 Constitution itself," added Poe Kwa Gyi, cofounder of Burma Link, a democracy and human rights advocacy group.

The outgoing junta also appears to have caught the country's sporting contingent off guard. When Burma's athletic delegation competed in the Asian Games in China's Guangzhou just a month after the flag change, many athletes wore solid blue uniforms, the color of the former flag's canton and a hue nowhere to be found on the current banner.

The change required some Asian Games athletes to fast summon allegiance to their country's new banner: Burma's sepak takraw gold medal winners Si Thu Lin, Zaw Lat and Zaw Zaw Aung are seen in a Reuters photo from Nov. 27, 2010, parading across the Guangzhou arena with a flag they'd only come to know a little more than a month earlier.

For Poe Kwa Gyi, whatever the symbolic meaning of the flag and motivations behind the 2010 swap, any move to change it once more should take a backseat to more pressing reforms.

"Instead of discussing changing the flag, all efforts should be directed toward changing the country and the 2008 Constitution," he said."If people feel that they live in a peaceful, democratic and free country where their rights are respected and their voices heard, they will also respect and be proud of their country and their flag."

The post In Burma, a Vexing Vexillology appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Wild Elephant Poaching Increases in Pegu

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 05:42 AM PDT

elephant poaching, Pegu Division, Bago Division, Myanmar, Burma, elephant tusks

The son of Myint Wai, a resident from Pegu Division, shows the skull of a wild elephant that was killed by hunters earlier this year along the Pegu mountain range. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

BAW NI, Pegu Division — From Mile 58 on the newly built Rangoon-Naypyidaw highway, Myint Wai walks about four miles into a jungle, through the Pegu mountain range.

He is returning to the site where he recently discovered skeletons of several dead elephants, and he talks along the way about the hunters who killed them, hoping to trade their skins and valuable tusks.

"More than 20 wild elephants were killed by hunters [this year]," he tells The Irrawaddy. "These hunters have been slaughtering wild elephants since 2010. I estimate that several dozens of elephants have been killed so far. And there are many places I can't reach."

Myint Wai, a local resident in Pegu Division, northeast of Rangoon, points to a homemade map of the mountain range, identifying sites where he found the dead carcasses most recently. Some sites are deep in the jungle, he says, adding that he walked for several days to get there.

One of the closest sites lies two hours from the highway, over a rough walking path and across small muddy streams filled with leeches. When Myint Wai reached the location, he gestured toward the skeletons and explained that a group of local hunters from Baw Ni village, in Pegu Division's Daik-U Township, were responsible.

The skeletons of one elephant were hidden under bamboo brush. The animal was killed in April, Myint Wai says, and some of the rib bones were scattered along the stream. "The age of this elephant could have been between 50 and 60," he says, gesturing toward a skull, pierced with two bullet holes.

Hunting wild elephants is illegal in Daik-U Township, but poachers often disobey, trading the skin and tusks illegally inside Burma and over the border to Thailand. The skin from one elephant can sell for about 10 million kyats (US$10,000) in illegal markets.

Last month three elephants ran into Baw Ni village late one night, trying to escape from hunters, who continued trying to shoot them in the village.

"This illegal trade has been going on for a long time. Nobody seems interested or aware, but it's getting worse every year," Myint Wai says, adding that he raised the issue with National League for Democracy (NLD) member Nyan Win when they met two weeks ago. "I can't sit and let this happen any longer. I feel bad for these animals. So I decided to raise this issue by reporting this case to the local police. I also reported it to an MP, asking to raise the issue in Parliament."

He says his journeys into the jungle are risky. "I have no gun, but they [the hunters] do. I was even threatened by some local people who were involved in this case. They said they knew who was talking to media about the elephant slaughters."

Local people say there are different groups of elephant hunters who use a waterway at the Baw Ni dam to carry the skins by boats after killing the animals. One suspect—a man from Thaton Township in Mon State who is married to a woman in Baw Ni village—is wanted by the police after being accused of participating in the illegal trade.

More than 150 wild elephants live on the Pegu mountain range, locals say. More elephants lived in the area in the past, but they have struggled to survive amid the hunting as well as logging.

"There were 10 miles of flat land before reaching the mountain range of Pegu in the past," said Han Zaw Win, an environmentalist in the area. "But much of the jungle was cut down. It's hard for the elephants to survive."

In January, residents and lawmakers from Irrawaddy Division's Ngaputaw Township reported the deaths of five elephants within seven months by hunters.

The post Wild Elephant Poaching Increases in Pegu appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

CSOs and MPs Draft ‘Progressive’ Association Registration Law

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 05:31 AM PDT

civil society, CSO, Myanmar, Burma, human rights, freedom of expression

Peace protesters are confronted by security forces at People's Square in Rangoon in September 2012. (Photo: Kyaw Pyo Tha / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — After several months of discussions, Burmese civil society organizations and ruling party lawmakers have agreed on a "progressive" draft Association Registration Law, according to CSO representatives.

They said the draft law provides simple, voluntary registration procedures for local and international CSOs and contains no restrictions or criminal punishments.

The law would form a key piece of legislative reform for the development of Burma's civil society sector, which for decades remained stifled by a repressive, military junta-era law.

Kyaw Thu, director of Paung Ku Consortium, said CSO representatives held several rounds of discussions with groups of lawmakers since early August, until they recently agreed with the Lower House Public Affairs Administration Committee on a fourth and final draft law.

"To our surprise… they were receptive to the idea that it should be a voluntary-based registration law and that the process should be simple and effective," said Kyaw Thu, whose organization comprises several CSOs that work to strengthen Burmese civil society.

Early in the discussions, Burmese CSOs voiced serious concerns about the initial proposed drafts. In early September, 500 CSOs issued statements condemning a clause in a draft that stipulated punishment of up to six months imprisonment for joining an unregistered organization.

In comments on a second draft in late September, the Washington-based International Center for Not-for-Profit Law warned of "vaguely worded grounds for terminating a registered organization."

Kyaw Thu said the Lower House committee, which is dominated by MPs from the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), had since accepted "many key changes" suggested by the CSOs.

"Everything is voluntary, nothing is mandatory anymore," Kyaw Thu said. "There is a clear time frame for the registration process and it's very clear about registration requirements, what type of information is required."

The committee's secretary, USDP lawmaker Tin Maung Oo, told The Irrawaddy that he expected both houses of Parliament to adopt the new draft legislation without amendment. "I think [this] week the bill will be explained in Parliament," he added.

Tin Maung Oo said he was content with the final draft. "It was a good process; I got so many public opinions," he said. "This law will be very important for my country."

Triangle Women Support Group founder Khin Lay, who also attended discussions about the bill, praised the final draft, saying, "It will be a very progressive Association Registration Law."

"Registration is voluntary. CSOs can register by their own wish, or not. The authorities cannot punish them for registering or not," she said. "Another good point is that everyone can join CSO work—even political party members or civil servants can join. Previously, that was totally restricted."

Khin Lay said the draft also allowed registered NGOs to accept funding from international NGOs, individual donors and local organizations.

"In a few days, it will be made public and sent to Parliament. It is expected to pass through Parliament… in this session," she added.

An unofficial English translation of the draft states that registration of civil society organizations would be decentralized, with committees at township, district, regional and national levels handling the applications.

Local CSOs that apply will be issued a temporary registration certificate within seven days and gain a five-year registration certificate within 30 to 60 days. Registration fees for local CSOs are set at a maximum of 30,000 kyat (about US$30). International non-governmental organizations will be issued a certificate within 90 days and pay a registration fee of 100,000 kyat.

"An organization whose registration has not been approved shall receive the reasons in the written document and also has the right to appeal," Article 8d of the draft said. Registration certificates are automatically renewed after five years, unless an organization fails to submit annual reports during this period.

The Association Registration Bill is set to replace the Law Relating to Forming of OrganizationsNo. 6/88, which was enacted by the military regime known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) shortly after it seized power through a coup in September 1988.

The draconian law contained broad, vaguely-defined restrictions that effectively banned any civil society organization from registering unless it maintained close ties to the government.

A member of an organization that was deemed to "disrupt law and order, peace and tranquility" could be sentenced of up to five years imprisonment, while those found to have any link to an unregistered organization could face up to three years in prison.

Following Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, Burma experienced an increase in the number of local CSOs and international NGOs, as the groups tried to address the cyclone's devastating social and humanitarian impact. The military government gradually allowed the organizations some space to operate.

Under President Thein Sein's government, the number of small community-based groups providing social, health and education services has grown rapidly. Yet, the groups continue to operate under the constant threat of repercussions for being officially unregistered.

In June, three activists from the Nattalin Social Network and the Meikhtila Social Network were detained in Pegu Division and charged under the junta-era association law with belonging to an unregistered CSO, after they had supported farmers protests against land-grabbing

Kyaw Thu of Paung Ku Consortium said the SLORC-era legislation was "intended to crack down on civil society groups."

"Those who applied under it, they would never get their registration. The simple fact is, no [CSO] followed that law, and they were always at risk for operating activities with their organization—that created a risky environment for the whole civil society."

The post CSOs and MPs Draft 'Progressive' Association Registration Law appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Publisher Sidelines CEO Who Alleged Threats by Than Shwe’s Grandson

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 05:13 AM PDT

Than Shwe, Myanmar, Burma, cronies, media, censorship, Rangoon

Poe La Pyae, grandson of former dictator Than Shwe, is seen at the opening of a new hospital for children in 2011. (Photo: Demo Kaungkin / Burma Today)

RANGOON — The publisher of local newspaper Sunlight has seemingly sidelined a CEO who had accused a group backed by the grandson of Burma’s former dictator Sen-Gen Than Shwe and the son of Commerce Minister Win Myint of raiding his offices late on Friday.

The publisher announced that he plans to shut down the paper following the alleged incident.

Speaking to Rangoon media on Saturday, Sunlight's CEO Moe Hein said that "a group of 15 or 20 people came to the office with six cars around midnight. Minister of Commerce U Win Myint’s son Ko Thurein, Phoe La Pyae and his friends were in the group."

Phoe La Pyae is a name for Nay Shwe Thway Aung, grandson of Burma’s former military ruler Than Shwe.

Moe Hein said that Nay Shwe Thway Aung did not enter the premises while the raid took place, but alleged that 14 computers and copies of the newspaper were taken during the incident.

Sunlight publisher Yu Naing has since distanced himself from CEO Moe Hein.

"I told Moe Hein not to carry out personal attacks in the journal and to stick to journalistic ethics, but he did not do so," Yu Naing told The Irrawaddy, adding that Moe Hein ran the articles without the approval of the Sunlight editorial board.

Yu Naing said that Nay Shwe Thway Aung, whose appearance alongside Burma’s newly-crowned Miss Universe candidate at a recent football match prompted a flurry of rumors on Burmese social and print media, did not go to the newspaper’s office on Friday night.

Speculation around the alleged raid centered on three recent articles published in the journal, including derisory commentary on Nay Shwe Thway Aung’s appearance with the Miss Universe candidate and criticism of Burma’s crony culture.

Yu Naing described Friday's alleged incident as an internal matter at the publication and denied suggestions that he had been strong-armed into closing the newspaper.

He said that the newspaper—derided in Burmese media circles as a gossipy tabloid—will be wound-up, with apologetic notices to that effect appearing on Monday in Kyemon and Myanma Ahlin, two government-run newspapers.

However, Sunlight Editor-in-Chief Aung Si Hein said that while the articles in question were run without board approval, the same is true for the notices placed in government newspapers today, announcing the closing-down of Sunlight.

"We, the editors' board, have no desire to stop the publication," Aung Si Hein told The Irrawaddy.

Attempts to contact Moe Hein, Thurein and Nay Shwe Thway Aung have proven unsuccessful so far.

Asked whether the account of Friday’s event given by Moe Hein meant a transgression of press freedom, Ye Htut, Burma’s Deputy Information Minister, told The Irrawaddy that "as far as I am aware, this is a dispute between the publisher and the editor."

Than Shwe, Nay Shwe Thway Aung’s grandfather, stepped-down as Burma’s military ruler after 2010 elections, but is reckoned by many Burmese to wield behind-the-scenes influence on domestic politics.

It’s not the first time that Nay Shwe Thway Aung has been caught up in controversy. As a teenager he was accused of kidnapping a celebrity model and was tainted by the arrest of two friends for drugs offenses. More recently, the former dictator’s grandson was accused of attacking a police officer, apparently for not clearing traffic for him in Rangoon.

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Shwedagon Pagoda on Bombing Suspect’s Target List: KNU

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 05:04 AM PDT

bomb, explosives, Rangoon, Yangon, Myanmar, Burma, Shwedagon Pagoda, KNU, Karen National Union, Mahn Nyein Maung, Saw Myint Lwin, Eid al-Adha

An explosive device is displayed by police on Friday in Rangoon. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — The man detained for his alleged involvement in several recent bomb blasts across Burma planned to target Rangoon's famed Shwedagon Pagoda on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, according to a member of the Karen National Union (KNU) central committee.

During a press conference held at the Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) on Sunday, Mahn Nyein Maung reiterated what law enforcement authorities alleged late last week: that the motivation for the blasts that rocked Burma's two biggest cities and several other locations was to deter foreign investment in the country.

"When we checked with the accused, we found out that he also had planned to target Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred site for Buddhists, on an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims, Eid al-Adha," said the KNU central committee member. "It is obvious that such an attempt would have been politically sensitive."

He also told journalists that Saw Myint Lwin, the suspect under investigation whose religious affiliation remains unknown, had admitted to involvement in the explosions.

"He acted on his own and there was no KNU involvement in the blasts," Mahn Nyein Maung said.

He added that the suspect was trying to secure an economic foothold amid talks of a nationwide ceasefire between the central government and Burma's many ethnic armed groups, a prospect that could bring an unprecedented level of political stability—and interest from foreign investors in resource-rich Karen State.

"My general analysis is that he endeavored to win a monopoly over his economic rivals through various means," said the KNU central committee member. "The KNU has been in a revolution constantly and is only now studying to conduct business. We don't understand economic matters at all."

Saw Shwe Maung, another KNU central committee member at the press conference, said the full details of what motivated the bombing campaign remained unclear because police are still searching for individuals suspected of involvement in the crimes.

Since Oct. 11, at least eight explosive devices have been detonated in four different states and divisions in Burma. Three people have been killed and several others injured, including an American tourist who was staying at Rangoon's Traders Hotel when a bomb went off in the bathroom of her ninth floor room. A handful of undetonated explosive devices have also been discovered.

Police from Rangoon Division on Friday said eight suspects had been detained for suspected involvement in the bombings.

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Thai Rocker Carabao Plays in Rangoon

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 04:00 AM PDT

Southeast Asian Games, Myanmar, Burma, Yangon, Rangoon, Carabao Foundation, Carabao

Thai rock star Carabao speaks at a press conference in Rangoon on Monday. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Gearing up for his first performance in Rangoon, Thai rock star Carabao says he will donate 1 million baht (US$32,000) to help organize the Southeast Asian Games in Burma.

"We see great value in the SEA Games to build peace, create friendship and unite people, so we plan to contribute 1 million baht to help [Burma's] SEA Games Committee," Sarinya Sanmeema, a spokeswoman for the Carabao Foundation, told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

Carabao is set to give a free performance on Monday night at Junction Square, a popular shopping center north of downtown Rangoon. He and a team from his foundation were accompanied to Burma by more than 100 Thai journalists and media.

"I learned about Myanmar and its people a long time ago," Carabao said at a press conference in Rangoon on the morning of the concert. "Having a chance to perform here is a great honor. Someone told me that the people of Myanmar know our band and like us, so I hope there will be many people enjoying our concert."

The rock star is famous among the Burmese because he released an English-language song about democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in 2010, the year she was released from house arrest.

His Rangoon performance will include appearances by famous Burmese singers as well as Miss Myanmar International Nang Khin Zay Yar and other national winners of Miss International pageants in Singapore, Thailand, Mongolia, Estonia, Italy and New Zealand.

"I'm so glad to be accompanied by these beautiful Miss winners, and I'm honored to promote the upcoming SEA Games," said the 2013 Miss Estonia International, Madli Vilsar. "I would like to welcome everyone from across the world to come visit this beautiful country, too."

Burma is busy preparing for the SEA Games, a major regional sporting event, in December. It will be the first time the country has hosted the event in four decades. New stadiums have been built in major cities, but security concerns are rising after a string of bomb blasts last week in several places around the country.

On Friday, the chief of the Philippines' sports commission, Richie Garcia, told AFP that he was concerned about the safety of his country's athletes. The director of Burma's Ministry of Sports, Kyaw San Oo, said security would be high for the Games. "Security is our priority concern," he said. "The officials who are taking part in security are working hard."

He said preparations for the Games were nearly complete.

"There are only 50 days to go," he said. "The venues in Yangon [Rangoon], Naypyidaw and Ngwe Saung beach are almost finished, and our athletes are almost done training. We believe our athletes will win about 100 gold medals."

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For Myanmar’s Well-Heeled, a Moveable Feast

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 03:49 AM PDT

Yangon, Rangoon, Myanmar, Burma, Kandawgyi Lake, French cuisine, fine dining, Agnes restaurant

Christophe Buzare, the chef at Agnes restaurant, confers with an assistant. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

YANGON — If it weren't for a view of Shwedagon Pagoda from the terrace outside, a stop at Agnes restaurant in Yangon might feel like an excursion to Paris for a rendezvous with the French bourgeoisie.

The restaurant, part of the high-end Kandawgyi Palace Hotel, offers French haute cuisine and a sophisticated ambiance to match—a teak walkway leads from the main hotel building to a well-lit dining space with French Renaissance-style paintings and statues, elegant blue-cushioned chairs, and tables topped with fresh flowers.

The chef, Christophe Buzaré, originally hails from the French region of Brittany and worked previously at Le Planteur—another spot in Yangon known for gourmet French cuisine. He moved to Agnes for its opening last year and says he cooks in traditional French style with an emphasis on locally grown herbs and vegetables.

His menu offers an extensive choice of dishes, all suited to epicurean tastes—a sampling includes grilled lobster medallions on green tea-scented risotto; pan-fried foie gras on caramelized pears and ginger bread; and roasted duck breast with honey and rosemary sauce. For adventurous eaters, he recommends the slow-roasted Black Forest pigeon, a plump bird imported from the France-Germany border and served with crushed violet potato, though he says the recommendation often meets some resistance. "In Myanmar, people get scared to eat it. After I explain that these aren't the pigeons from Shwedagon Pagoda, but specially imported from France, they try," he says with a laugh.

If that doesn't convince you, opt for another of his specialties, the Brittany-style langoustines with risotto—a dish so rich it practically melts in the mouth.  And for dessert, don't pass on the chocolate fondant cake, a real taste of decadence that's filled with hot fudge, topped with icing sugar, and served with raspberry sauce and homemade star anise ice cream.

The food seems fit for royalty, but be warned, so are the prices. Appetizers range from about US $15 to $30 and entrees from about $30 to $50. For more bang for your buck, a set business lunch is offered Monday to Saturday for $25. The meal starts with a tray of bite-sized hors d'oeuvres and continues with a pre-selected appetizer, a dish of your choice from the a la carte menu and a pre-selected dessert. The more upscale "Discovery Menu," at $75, is a six-course meal that comes with five glasses of wine.

For wine aficionados willing to spend even more, Agnes has a cellar with exclusive vintage wines not found on the regular menu. Bottle prices start at about $200 and top out at about $3,000, according to Mr. Ho Kok Fai, director of food and beverage at the hotel. He says the restaurant once imported a $64,000 bottle of Chateau Petrus, one of the world's most expensive wines, but had to send it back after failing to find any takers in Yangon. (The regular wine list offers more affordable options, with house wines starting at $5.)

Large groups can ask to be seated in a private dining room, with butler service, a sound system and a private balcony at no extra charge. But for arguably the best seat in the house, take a table outside on the terrace, overlooking Kandawgyi Lake, and enjoy the view of Yangon's famous Shwedagon Pagoda. "At the six o'clock sunset, a gold color comes over the lake," says Mr. Buzare. "It's the best view in Yangon."

Agnes is certainly a splurge, but for a unique experience that brings together French flair with a view of Myanmar's most sacred sight, there are few spots better suited to indulgence.

Open daily from 11 am – 2:30 pm for lunch and from 6:30 pm – 10 pm for dinner.

This story first appeared in the October 2013 print issue of The Irrawaddy magazine.

The post For Myanmar's Well-Heeled, a Moveable Feast appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

In a Crowded Marketplace, Burma’s Daily Newspapers Struggle

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 03:39 AM PDT

Myanmar, Burma, Myanmar media, freedom of speech, free press, censorship, reforms

Burmese-language private daily newspapers are sold in Mandalay. (Photo: Tay Za Hlaing / The Irrawaddy)

RANGOON — Six months after private daily newspapers stepped into Burma's media market, publishers are still struggling turn a profit. While some in the business see a hopeful future, the dominance of state-run media and a lack of advertising interest mean some titles have already dropped out.

Earlier this year, more than 26 private companies got licenses to print daily newspapers, with the first dailies printed in April. Burmese could read independent, uncensored newspapers each morning for the first time in 50 years, marking a major milestone in the country's ongoing reforms.

The first papers to launch—theVoice, theUnion, theStandardTimes and ShweNaingnganThit—have since been joined by the 7 Day Daily, the Daily Eleven, the Yangon Times, Mizzima, Pyi Myanmar and the Messenger. The English-language Myanma Freedom Daily is also now publishing alongside the 10 Burmese-language titles.

But there have been setbacks. Three titles—The Empire, Myanmar Newsweek and Burma Age—have launched and already stopped publishing in the difficult market.

From their infancy, private dailies faced financial problems. Simply producing and printing the mostly color pages of a daily is losing publishers an estimated $2,000 to $3,000 per day, according people in the industry.

"There were 13 private dailies three months ago, now only 10 are left in the market," said Saw Lin Aung, a market researcher on Burma's print media.

He said that advertisers, which will be the key to daily newspapers surviving, have been slow to warm to the daily format.

"There are only two dailies that are getting ads and readers are regularly reading only these two dailies—the Daily Eleven and 7 Day Daily," Saw Lin Aung said.

"The highest circulation rate is at about 50,000 copies per day, and a second level of dailies is reaching 30,000, the Standard Times for example."

The researcher noted that while the quality of news coverage was impressive when the first daily's launched, the demands of the daily news cycle appears to have taken a toll on content.

"Some quality dailies which were very active last April are now going down [in terms of quality]," he said.

Wai Phyo, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Eleven, said the market will see yet more titles fall by the wayside, predicting that all but three or four private titles will likely drop out within a year.

He said people were starting to become familiar with private daily newspapers, but the dailies—the majority of which have sister titles in the journal market—were yet to distinguish themselves from the well-established weeklies, which are attractive to advertisers.

"Actually, the presentation of weeklies and dailies is not yet very different because we have the same sources and networks .Those things haven't expanded yet," he said.

Ahr Mahn, the editor of 7 Day Daily, said there were signs the market was improving, with more advertisers coming in.

"This is peak season, and ads are increasing compared to last month. That means, some days a week, we can cover our daily costs, but some days we still can't match the daily cost," he said.

Editors declined to give specific circulation figures for their papers. Said Ahr Mahn, "I can say if a daily newspaper reached to 70,000 copies per day, they can survive and they can make profit."

Ko Ko, the founder and CEO of the Yangon Times, which has both a daily and a weekly, said a major obstacle for private dailies remains their state-owned competitors—whose privileged position and large resources are a frequent point of contention with local publishers.

"Our main competitors are the two government-run newspapers—the Mirror and the New Light of Myanmar—they can sell at a cheap price, just 50 kyat, while we're selling at 200 kyat per copy," he said.

The Interim Press Council of Myanmar has called on the government to privatize its official newspapers, which also include the Burmese-language Myanma Ahlin—published by the News and Periodical Enterprise, under the Ministry of Information. The state-owned titles have large newsgathering and distribution networks, with more than 200,000 copies of both Burmese-language titles printed every day.

"For example, while we're trying hard to make 1 million kyat [about $1,000] from advertisements, they're receiving more than 10 million kyat [$10,000] every day," said Ko Ko, who also pointed to the government papers' privileged access to important information like government announcements and tender notices.

Although state involvement means the daily newspaper market is "stagnant," Ko Ko said, he was still hopeful dailies would eventually be viable.

"Right now, we can see a distant signal [of hope] for the future," he said.

The post In a Crowded Marketplace, Burma's Daily Newspapers Struggle appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

American Chamber of Commerce to Launch Burma Chapter

Posted: 21 Oct 2013 01:56 AM PDT

US, business, foreign investment, US investment

UMFCCI Chairman Win Aung, center left, shakes hands with US Assistant Secretary of State Jose Fernandez after the signing of a memorandum of understanding on Feb. 25, 2013.

RANGOON — The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) will launch a Burma chapter at the end of the month, another signal that businesses from the United States are showing a greater interest in a country that was off-limits to most American investors until-mid 2012.

The launch event will take place at Rangoon’s Chatrium Hotel on Oct. 31 and will be co-hosted by the US Embassy in Burma, with backing from Chevron, the US energy giant that has operated in Burma since acquiring Unocal, along with the latter’s stake in the offshore Yadana gas project, in 2005.

Judy Benn, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand, which is supporting the launch in next-door Burma, told The Irrawaddy that 25 companies, a mix of big brands, small and medium enterprises and Burmese businesses partnering with American companies, have joined the Burma chapter so far.

"The chapter will promote US business values including compliance with laws, respect for the individual and dignity of the worker, training and education for employees, environmentally responsible business practices, encourage companies to be good corporate citizens and promote high standards of professionalism and business ethics," Benn said.

A recent World Bank survey of Asian economies said foreign direct investment into Burma grew from 3.7 percent of GDP in 2011/12 to 5.2 percent in 2012/13. "Most of this investment was in the energy sector, garment industry, information technology, and food and beverages," the bank said.

American investors in these sectors include Coca-Cola, GE, Pepsi and Cisco, but overall US investment in Burma remains low. Out of a total of over US $43 billion worth of foreign investment into Burma since 1988, just over $243 million was of American origin, according to the Myanmar Investment Commission, the body that vets would-be foreign investors.

The establishment of the new AMCHAM chapter in Burma is a hint that American investment is likely to grow, however, in coming years. Myanmar Investment Commission official Khine Khine Nwe said that the new chamber "is quite a convincing move to show that foreign and of course American investors are interested in Myanmar."

Several high-profile American business missions have visited Burma during 2013, while Burma President Thein Sein addressed the US Chamber of Commerce during his visit to Washington in May. Alexander Feldman, President of the US-ASEAN Business Council, a membership group for American companies operating in Southeast Asia, told The Irrawaddy that the opening of the new chamber, coming fifteen months after American businesses were given the green light to invest in Burma, "is yet another signal of the commitment of US business to Myanmar."

US Secretary of State John Kerry met briefly with Thein Sein on the sidelines of the recent East Asia summit held in Brunei, where Deputy Information Minister Ye Htut told The Irrawaddy that, "The Secretary of State fully understands the challenges we are facing in the reform process and said that the United States wants to give full support to us in this."

US businesses were permitted to invest in Burma in mid-2012, after a fifteen year investment ban on doing business in the repressive military regime was suspended.

However, some sanctions, such as a ban on dealing with businessmen deemed to have links with Burma’s military or are alleged to have engaged in illicit activities, such as drugs trafficking, remain in place. These remaining American sanctions were not among the topics of the fifteen-minute closed-door meeting in Brunei, according to Ye Htut.

American companies putting $500,000 or more into Burma, or investing in its gas and oil sectors, are required to file reports with the US government outlining steps taken toward "responsible investment."

The reports include details such as what human rights and worker rights policies have been implemented in the course of the investment and what due diligence has been undertaken on local partners. Currently, there are five such reports posted on the website of the US Embassy in Burma.

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Arsenal Cruise, Chelsea Win Amid Controversy

Posted: 20 Oct 2013 11:31 PM PDT

Premier League, English Premier League, football, soccer

Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil (L) rises above Norwich City’s Russell Martin to score a goal during their English Premier League soccer match at the Emirates Stadium in London, October 19, 2013. (Photo: Reuters)

LONDON — Arsenal played with the style, pace and confidence of its glory days of nearly a decade ago to crush Norwich City 4-1 and underline its Premier League title credentials at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The Gunners, without a trophy since 2005, gave their fans renewed hope that the famine could end this season with Jack Wilshere and substitute Aaron Ramsey scoring outstanding goals as they moved two points clear at the top.

Arsenal's record signing Mesut Ozil also scored his first two league goals for the club he joined for 42.5 million pounds (US$68.80 million) from Real Madrid at the start of the season.

Across London, Chelsea beat Cardiff City 4-1 to move into second place but the win was marred by their controversial equalizer which came after Samuel Eto'o kicked the ball away from keeper David Marshall who was bouncing it before clearing.

The ball ran to Belgian forward Eden Hazard who scored to cancel out Cardiff's 10th minute opener.

In the second half referee Anthony Taylor sent Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho from the dugout because the Portuguese continually lambasted the officials complaining Cardiff were time-wasting.

Liverpool slipped one place to third after drawing 2-2 at 10-man Newcastle United, while Manchester City climbed to fourth after winning 3-1 at West Ham United with two goals from Sergio Aguero and a late strike by David Silva.

Champions Manchester United finished the day in eighth place after Southampton scored at the death to force a 1-1 draw and silence the home fans at Old Trafford.

With the top teams having all played eight matches, Arsenal has 19 points, Chelsea and Liverpool 17, with Manchester City on 16. Manchester United is eight points off the pace.

Outstanding Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was delighted with their performance and told Sky Sports: "We had periods when we were absolutely outstanding and periods when we suffered as well because Norwich played well and they are a good side.

"But we scored a fantastic first goal and the goals after that were absolutely amazing. We took advantage of Norwich getting tired in the last 20 minutes in a very clinical way. But they made it difficult for us."

Chelsea's win was marred by a hotly disputed goal which brought them back into the game after Eto'o kicked the ball to Hazard as Cardiff keeper Marshall was bouncing it.

Under FIFA laws, the goal should not have stood.

"If that is the case, over the course of the season those things can go for you or against you," Chelsea assistant coach Steve Holland told reporters. "The referee had a very clear view of it and was happy with it, so we move on."

Chelsea fell behind after some woeful defending by their Brazil center back David Luiz who allowed Jordan Mutch to score.

Luiz's mistake meant Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, making his 300th Premier League appearance, could not mark the occasion with a clean sheet, but that was a minor irritation as the hosts bagged all three points.

Cameroon striker Eto'o, with his first Premier League goal, Oscar and Hazard put the issue beyond doubt with goals in the second half.

Liverpool Slip

Liverpool led the table for a brief spell after their early kick off at Newcastle with skipper Steven Gerrard scoring his 100th league goal by converting a penalty.

Newcastle played for the whole of the second half with 10 men after their French defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa was sent off shortly before halftime. Liverpool, although they trailed twice, dominated the depleted home side and deserved more than a point.

Newcastle went ahead with a stunning 25-meter strike from Yohan Cabaye but Gerrard equalised from the spot after Yanga-Mbiwa was sent off for hauling down Luis Suarez.

Newcastle defender Paul Dummett put Newcastle ahead in the 57th minute with his first goal for the club on his second league appearance.

Daniel Sturridge equalized with a header 17 minutes from time, the 126th goal in this fixture, a record tally between any two sides in the Premier League era.

Disappointing United

It was a disappointing day for champions Manchester United, who started in ninth place but was expected to beat Southampton despite the visitors standing a lofty fourth in the table.

However United, who lost 2-1 to West Bromwich Albion in their last home match, slipped up again.

Robin van Persie put them ahead in the 26th minute before the Saints equalized a minute from the end of normal time with a goal claimed by Adam Lallana after initially being credited to Dejan Lovren.

Lallana told Sky Sports: "It hit my legs on the way in, I'm claiming it. It was a great point for us and we could have taken all three."

United boss David Moyes, who has not made the best start since taking over from Alex Ferguson at the beginning of the season, was naturally disappointed with the result.

"We had a few chances to get it wrapped up and to let in a goal in the last couple of minutes is very frustrating, especially as we had the chances to win it," he said.

Gus Poyet's tenure as Sunderland's new manager got off to a terrible start when they were crushed 4-0 at Swansea City, leaving them bottom with one point from eight games.

In other action, Everton beat Hull City 2-1 while Stoke City drew 0-0 with West Brom.

The post Arsenal Cruise, Chelsea Win Amid Controversy appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Challenger Wants Maldives’ President to Resign After Cancellation of Revote

Posted: 20 Oct 2013 10:52 PM PDT

Maldives, democracy, human rights

Maldivian presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed, who was ousted as president in 2012, speaks to his supporters at a political march on Oct. 18, 2013. (Photo: Reuters)

MALE, Maldives — The leading candidate in the Maldives’ troubled presidential election demanded on Sunday that the president resign and allow the parliamentary speaker to take over the government and oversee a fresh poll.

Speaking to reporters a day after police stopped officials from holding a scheduled revote of last month’s election, Mohamed Nasheed accused President Mohamed Waheed Hassan of working with the country’s defense minister and police chief to obstruct the vote.

The move by the police to stop Saturday’s revote came as the latest blow to this Indian Ocean island nation, which has seen much upheaval in its first five years as a democracy. Failing to elect a president by Nov. 11, when Hassan’s term ends, could bring about a constitutional crisis in the country.

The Supreme Court earlier this month annulled the results of the Sept. 7 election, agreeing with a losing candidate that the voters’ list had made-up names and names of dead people. Nasheed led that election with more than 45 percent of the vote, but failed to secure a majority for an outright win.

Nasheed said Sunday that he had lost all hope that an election will ever be held during Hassan’s tenure, accusing Hassan, Defense Minister Mohamed Nasim and Police Chief Abdulla Riyaz of wanting to stay in power without having a new vote.

"It is very evident that they have been obstructing the election and it is also very evident the game they are trying to play," Nasheed told reporters, adding that Hassan, Nasim and Riyaz want to take Maldives into a "constitutional void" and stay in power for a long time.

"We believe that the only prudent way forward and a possible solution is for Dr. Waheed (Hassan) to resign and the speaker of Parliament to take over government until Nov. 11, for the election to be held under his tenure and not under the unelected … rule of Dr. Waheed," Nasheed said.

Presidential spokesman Masood Imad denied Nasheed’s allegation, and said Hassan would not step down.

"I don’t think anybody in this country doesn’t want an election. The president more than anybody else wants to have an election," Imad said.

Hassan said Saturday that he did not intend to stay in power even if no president was elected by the Nov. 11 constitutional deadline, even though the Supreme Court had ruled that it would allow such a provision. He opted out of the election after losing badly in the annulled first round, getting just 5 percent of the vote.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was "deeply concerned by the delay of the re-run" of the Sept. 7 election and called on all parties "to participate in a credible, peaceful and inclusive" revote as soon as possible.

"The aspirations and the will of the Maldivian people were expressed in the 88 per cent participation of eligible voters in the 7 September election," the statement said. "The Secretary-General strongly believes that the legitimate will of the people should not be denied. "

Hassan stepped in Saturday to mediate in the crisis, proposing to the Elections Commission that a new vote be held Oct. 26. The commission, however, has not announced a date yet.

Nasheed’s supporters started civil disobedience protests Saturday, occupying main roads in the capital, Male, and on at least one other island to protest the cancellation of the revote.

Following the election last month, Nasheed was set for a runoff with the second-place finisher, a brother of the country’s longtime autocratic ruler, when the Supreme Court ordered the revote. The court also set forth 16 guidelines for the Elections Commission to follow during the new poll, including having the voters’ register approved by all candidates. Nasheed’s two rivals have refused to approve the register, citing flaws in the list.

The Maldives held its first multiparty election in 2008, with Nasheed defeating the country’s 30-year autocratic ruler, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Nasheed resigned last year after weeks of public protests against his order to arrest a senior judge he perceived as corrupt and partial. Hassan, who was Nasheed’s deputy, took over presidency. Nasheed has since accused Hassan of helping to orchestrate a coup.

A local commission has ruled out Nasheed’s claim of a coup, but the country, best known as a luxurious vacation destination, has since been politically polarized.

The post Challenger Wants Maldives’ President to Resign After Cancellation of Revote appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Malaysia’s Najib Entrenches Power as Reform Drive Fades

Posted: 20 Oct 2013 10:34 PM PDT

Malaysia, Najib, reform, Southeast Asia

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak delivers an address at the the IISS Shangri-la Security Summit in June, 2011 in Singapore. (Photo: AP)

KUALA LUMPUR — Internal voting for top posts in Malaysia’s ruling party at the weekend has proved Prime Minister Najib Razak to be a canny survivor – five months after a poor showing at national elections – but at a cost to his reform agenda.

In May, Najib seemed dead in the water to some observers after presiding over the long-ruling Barisan National (BN) coalition’s worst election result.

The internal United Malays National Organization (UMNO) elections, however, confirmed Najib had seen off challenges from rival factions – including the son of influential former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Mukhriz Mahathir, 48, fell just short of snaring one of three vice president positions, all of which went to incumbents backed by Najib. Najib’s allies also retained their dominance of the 25-member UMNO Supreme Council.

Since coming to power in 2009, Najib had eased draconian security laws, and pledged to phase out privileges for majority ethnic Malays that have hurt Malaysia’s competitiveness.

Malaysia’s large ethnic Chinese minority and most urban voters largely rejected the UMNO-dominated BN coalition at the election and Najib has since reversed both policies under pressure from traditionalists.

Despite that, he has not appeased all of his conservative rivals, signaling he will remain under pressure to rein in any reformist instincts. On Friday, Mahathir, 88, launched an outspoken attack on what he called Najib’s "bad performance".

Among other barbs, Mahathir said maintaining the status quo in the UMNO hierarchy would hasten the party’s demise after 56 years in power. He also blamed Najib for adding to Malaysia’s debt burden with pre-election handouts, and criticized his economic development programs for lacking credibility.

"The party finds it unable to reject him simply because there are really no other candidates … the result is they continue to support him despite his poor performance," Mahathir told Reuters in an exclusive interview.

Najib will present his government’s budget for 2014 on Friday, under pressure from ratings agencies and investors to rein in Malaysia’s high fiscal deficit and debt.

Tilting Back to Reform?

Mahathir, who argues that UMNO has become too insular and needs to promote new talent, also accused Najib’s government of pandering to the opposition with liberal social reforms before the election and not making good on his latest pledges.

"Most people don’t think he is doing enough. A lot of people comment when he announces things, it is nothing new," said Mahathir, whose often authoritarian rule spanned 1981 to 2003.

May’s election was the second straight poll in which the BN coalition saw its parliamentary majority shrink and the first in which it lost the popular vote to the opposition, led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim. The result exacerbated racial tensions in the Southeast Asian country as UMNO-backed media blamed "ungrateful" Chinese voters for the setback.

Saturday’s election of the three incumbent vice presidents, all of them older than 50, will intensify criticism that UMNO is out of touch with young and urban voters. Najib had tried to broaden the BN’s appeal to different races, handing out cash payments to low-income Malaysians among other policies.

In September he reversed course by announcing a raft of new measures to benefit ethnic Malays, bolstering a decades-old affirmative action policy, in a move seen as crucial to ward off any challenge for his UMNO presidency. Last month, his government pushed through a bill that brings back detention without trial, over strong criticism by civil society groups.

Najib likely isn’t "in the pocket" of conservatives and could now tilt back to a more liberal, reformist agenda having balanced the different wings of the party, said Shaun Levine, a senior Washington-based analyst with Eurasia Group.

"He has to appease the conservative base but he must also ensure that foreign investors in particular are certain that Malaysia is not going over the edge economically," Levine said.

The UMNO internal elections were the first under a new system introduced by Najib – who has popular grassroots support – that broadened the voting base in a bid to make the process more democratic and less beholden to powerful party "warlords".

The post Malaysia’s Najib Entrenches Power as Reform Drive Fades appeared first on The Irrawaddy Magazine.

Elections in Jeopardy as Bangladesh Parties Head for Showdown

Posted: 20 Oct 2013 10:26 PM PDT

Bangladesh elections, Bangladesh, democracy

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) shout slogans after BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia (not pictured) arrived for a rally in Dhaka Oct. 20, 2013. (Photo: Reuters)

DHAKA — Bangladesh's two main parties are hurtling towards a showdown this week that could delay or even derail elections due by January in a country with a history of ferocious political violence and military intervention.

The mounting tension is a fresh threat to Bangladesh's US$22 billion garment export industry, the economic lifeblood of the poor country of 160 million, which has already been rocked by a string of deadly factory accidents over the past year.

The ruling Awami League (AL) in 2011 scrapped a "caretaker government" system—whereby neutral leaders take over three months before elections and oversee polls—and is now refusing to step down by October 24, as would have ordinarily happened.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) says that, unless the government relinquishes power, its supporters will whip up nationwide strikes that are likely to be bloody. It is also threatening to boycott the elections.

"There will be a total deadlock," Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the BNP's acting secretary-general, told Reuters. "When the government does not listen to our demands, what is the alternative?"

The deadlock raises the specter of aborted polls in 2007, when a League boycott and clashes between rival party supporters led a military-backed government to take over for two years.

Even if the polls go ahead, the opposition might reject the results, which could spark more strikes and force a second election within months, as happened in 1996.

'Come Armed'

Last week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sought to defuse the crisis, offering the formation of an all-party government to see through the elections.

While the BNP is likely to snub her proposal, Alamgir held out the prospect of a negotiated end to the impasse. Still, the BNP has vowed to press ahead with a rally in Dhaka this Friday, for which one party leader has exhorted supporters to come "prepared with arms."

The League plans to hold a competing rally on the same day, raising the risk of more bloodshed, said Mirza Hassan, a political scientist at BRAC University.

"This is a very combative move," said Hassan, whose university is part of Bangladesh's BRAC group, one of the world's largest development organizations. "They're all asking their party people to be out on the street."

Already security forces have killed at least 150 people and more than 2,000 have been injured during strikes and other protests this year, according to Human Rights Watch. Police have banned all gatherings in the capital in the run-up to Friday.

Retailers Wary

Factory bosses say that some Western retailers that source apparel from the world's second-largest clothing exporter after China have put orders on hold to see how the standoff unfolds.

"Some of the buyers are taking a back seat because they are waiting to see if there is unrest. If there are problems at the end of October, then maybe they will place orders elsewhere," said Kutubuddin Ahmed, chairman of the Envoy Group, which exports $200 million worth of garments a year.

Bangladesh's loss could benefit rival exporters Vietnam and Cambodia, even though they are more costly, Ahmed added.

Garment orders placed at an annual trade fair in Dhaka this month fell by 5 percent from last October, before a factory blaze and the collapse of Rana Plaza, a building that housed garment workshops, which together killed more than 1,200 people.

"The orders fell mainly due to a bad image after the Rana Plaza disaster, as well as the political uncertainty ahead," said S.M. Mannan, a vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

Booting Out the Incumbent

The caretaker system was started in the mid-1990s to ensure fair polls in a country where power has long changed hands between the two dynastic and mutually distrustful parties. Senior League members say they scrapped the arrangement partly because of disputes over whether caretaker government members themselves were unbiased.

"It's time that we go to the normal democratic practices that are used in all other countries," said H.T. Imam, an adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

But the League's critics say it wants to stay in power to massage the outcome of an election it is in danger of losing.

The League lost five mayoral elections over the summer, and—according to a July opinion poll conducted by Sydney-based pollster AC Nielsen and US-based consultancy Democracy International—it enjoys the support of just 32 percent of the electorate, 11 percentage points behind the BNP.

The ruling party has been tainted by a series of corruption scandals, the most high-profile of which led the World Bank to cancel a $1.2 billion loan for an ambitious bridge project. Ditching the pre-poll caretaker system has also been unpopular.

The two parties differ little in terms of policy, analysts say, with voters simply booting out the incumbent with every poll in the hope that change will bring improvement.

War Crimes Flashpoint
Another flashpoint between the rivals is a tribunal set up in 2010 to try those accused of human rights abuses during Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.

The tribunal has so far convicted eight leaders of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, the main Islamic party, sentencing six to death. Another court ruled in August that Jamaat-e-Islami was illegal, barring it from contesting in elections.

Both opposition parties have denounced the tribunal as a charade to eliminate the government's enemies, and more than 100 people have been killed in protests this year following war crime verdicts.

If the BNP remains committed to its boycott, international election observers might refuse to monitor and sign off on the polls, as they did after the League backed out in 2007.

"The same scenario risks being repeated now," said BRAC University's Hassan, referring to the scuppered election of 2007, though he added that the army may be reluctant to step in again after a difficult and unpopular two years in charge.

"If the AL goes to these polls unilaterally, there will be violence and then what will the army do?" he said. "One scenario is that they are forced to come in."

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Filipino Sultan Who Claimed Malaysian Region Dies

Posted: 20 Oct 2013 10:17 PM PDT

Malaysia, the Philippines, Sabah, Sulu, Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, obituary, Borneo, Lahad Datu, Muslim sultanate

Former Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III prays inside his residence at Maharlika village, Taguig city, south of Manila on March 1, 2013. (Photo: Reuters / Romeo Ranoco)

MANILA — A Philippine sultan whose armed followers invaded a vast Malaysian region, sparking a security crisis that left dozens of people dead earlier this year, died Sunday of multiple organ failure. He was 75.

Sultan Jamalul Kiram III's wife, Fatima Celia, told The Associated Press that her husband died in her arms at a Philippine hospital. She said that before he died, he ordered his family and followers to keep alive the historic territorial claims to Sabah state in neighboring Malaysia.

Although largely forgotten and dismissed as a vestige from a bygone era, Kiram's Muslim sultanate, based in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, stirred up a security crisis in Malaysia when his younger brother and about 200 followers, dozens of them armed, barged into Sabah's coastal village of Lahad Datu in February.

Stunned, Malaysia responded by sending in ground troops and launching air strikes. Dozens of people were killed in weeks of sporadic fighting before the standoff eased.

Malaysia has governed the resource-rich frontier region of timberlands and palm oil plantations in northern Borneo as its second-largest federal state since the 1960s.

The Kiram sultanate, which emerged in the 1400s, built a legend for its wide influence at the time and its feared Tausug warriors. Chinese and European leaders once sent vassals to pay homage to their powerful forebears, sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani said. The Sulu sultanate preceded both the Philippine republic and Malaysia by centuries.

But overrun by history, the Kirams now carry royal titles and nothing much else.

"I'm the poorest sultan in the world," an ailing Kiram said in an interview in March at his rundown residence in a Muslim village in Manila, the Philippine capital.

The Kirams claim Sabah has belonged to their sultanate for centuries and was only leased to Malaysia, which they say pays them a paltry annual rent. Malaysian officials contend the payments are part of an arrangement under which the sultanate has ceded the 74,000 square kilometers (28,000 square miles) of Sabah territory to their country.

Philippine presidents have relegated the volatile feud to the backburner despite efforts by the Kirams to put it on the national agenda.

Kiram's sultanate still has hundreds of followers in Sulu and nearby southern provinces, which are among the Philippines' poorest and are troubled by Muslim rebels, al-Qaida-linked extremists and outlaws.

Kiram's family said he would be buried in his hometown of Maimbung in Sulu.

He had eight children with two wives and will likely be replaced by a younger brother, Esmail Kiram II, in a succession often marred in the past by clan infighting and claims by fake descendants of the once-powerful Muslim royalty.

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